Apparatus for cleaning wool



Jam 20, 1959 Filed April 4. 1955 E. PORTANGER APPARATUS FOR CLEANING WOOL 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 20, 1959 Filed April 4, 1955 E. PQRTANGER APPARATUS FOR CLEANING WOOL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent APPARATUS FOR CLEANING WQUL Edward Portanger, Levin, New Zealand Application April 4, 1955, Serial No. 498,892 Claims priority, application New Zealand April 12, 1954 3 Claims. (Cl. 19-85) This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for cleaning wool which has waste matter matted therein e. g. dag wool or wool matted with burrs (hereinafter called uncleaned wool) for the purpose of separating at least the greater part of such waste matter from the wool.

In known types of machines for cleaning wool, the uncleaned wool is generally fed into the machine and is subjected to a hammering beating or combing action until the wool is removed; but although some of the wool may be cleaned quicker than other parts, the cleaned wool continues to be subjected to the action of the machine, thus unnecessarily detrim'entally affecting the quality of the wool.

The object of my invention is to provide a method and apparatus for cleaning wool, whereby once a portion of the wool fed into the machine is substantially separated from the waste matter matted therein that portion is removed to a substantial extent from the action of the machine, but wool not yet satisfactorily cleaned continues to be subjected to the action of the machine.

Accordingly in one aspect the invention consists in apparatus for cleaning wool, comprising a rotory beating means adapted to rotate within and so as to cause a draught of air to flow within a cleaning chamber having an inlet for uncleaned Wool, an outlet for the cleaned wool and a further outlet for the waste, and a coacting means in said cleaning chamber with which said rotary beating means is adapted to coact to clean the wool, said cleaning chamber being extended above the rotary beating means to provide a receiving chamber, which is so shaped and constructed that clean wool is rotated therein on the draught of air, such rotation being in a reverse direction to the direction of rotation of said beating means, the construction and arrangement being such that on uncleaned wool being placed into said cleaning chamber and on said heating means being set in motion, said uncleaned wool will be carried over said coacting means by said beating means, to separate the waste matter from the wool, and will then be thrown upwardly into said receiving chamber, said draught of air caused by movement of said rotary heating means keeping cleaned wool floating and rotating in said receiving chamber for a longer period than dirty or partially cleaned wool, which sinks more rapidly and thus is subjected to a more sustained cleaning action.

In a further aspect the invention consists in a method of cleaning wool comprising the steps of placing uncleaned wool in a cleaning chamber for treatment by a rotary beating means which coact with a coacting means to separate the waste matter from the wool, and which create a draught of air in the cleaning chamber the wool being driven upwardly after having been once treated into a receiving chamber being an extension of the cleaning chamber where it floats and rotates on a draught of air caused by movement of said rotary beating means, such rotation being in a reverse direction to the direction of rotation of the beating means, clean wool floatingin Patented Jan. 20, 1959 said receiving chamber for a longer period than dirty or partially cleaned wool which sinks more rapidly and thus is subjected to a more sustained cleaning action.

One preferred form of the invention and modifications thereof will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure l is an end elevation of a wool cleaning apparatus constructed according to the invention.

Figure 2 is a broken side elevation of the rotor, the screen being shown in section on the line 11-11, Figure 1, and

Figure 3 is a cross section on the line IIIIII, Figure 2, the frame or base and the lower end of the receiving chamber being also shown.

Referring to the drawings, a cleaning chamber 1 is constructed from sheet steel of suitable thickness to suit the dimensions of the machine, angle iron members 2 being provided around the bottom of the cleaning chamber r to provide a suitable support therefor. Trunnion bearings 3 are mounted on hearing pedestals 4 placed at either end of the cleaning chamber 1 and a rotary beating means rotates in these bearings.

To provide a rotary beating means, a heater is construchd as follows. A shaft 5 (Figure 2), is adapted to be driven by a pulley or any other suitable drive (not shown), the shaft 5 rotating in the bearings 3 mentionzd above. Spaced on the shaft 5 are nine circular discs 6. The discs 6 are keyed to the shaft 5 by keys i and evenly spaced around these discs are apertures S in which secondary shafts 9 may be fitted. The secondary shafts 9 comprise rods of steel of suitable diameter, e. g. 1 inch which slide into place and are held in place by locking plates shown more particularly in Figures 2 and 3. The locking plates it) are provided with arcuate slots 11 and in addition circular apertures 12. A locking plate 10 is fitted on the outside of the last disc of the rotary beater as shown in Figure 2 and each locking plate is held on its respective disc by bolts and nuts 13 which engage the locking plate through the arcuate apertures 11. Thus the locking plates may be rotated through a short arc and the positioning of the bolts 13, the arcuate slots 11 and the circular apertures 12 in relation to the short shafts 9 is such that when the locking plates are in one position the short shafts may be withdrawn through the apertures 12, and when the locking plates are in their second position the short shafts are retained in position by the locking plates blocking their removal from the apertures in the discs 6. Thus the secondary shafts 9 are readily removable and replaceable in the machine.

The series of hammers 14 are pivotally mounted on the secondary shafts 9, spacing washers 15 being provided to retain the pivotal hammers 14 in their correct position on the short shafts 9. Six pivotal hammers 14 are mounted on each secondary shaft 9, and consequently 24 such hammers are provided, and because of their positioning good balance is obtained during rotation of the rotary beater. In the above manner an open drum or cage having beating hammers is constructed which forms the rotary beating means of the wool cleaning apparatus and which may be rotated on the shafts thereof being driven by a pulley from any suitable power source. When the diameter of the path of the ends of the hammers when in their extended positions is about 2 feet, a suitable peripheral speed of the drum has been found to be between 6000 and 12000 feet per minute, and preferably 9000 F. P. M. since at lower speeds some short wool strands are lost due to shortage of draught and at higher speeds power is wasted.

Mounted within the cleaning chamber 1 below the drum or rotary beater are coasting means to coact with the hammers to'clean'the wool, such means comprising a semicylindrical screen which forms the outlet for the, waste resulting from the cleaning of the wool. The screen comprises a series of spaced three eighth or half inch diameter round bars 16 parallel to each other with each end of the bars being fitted into a semi-cylindrical strip 17 the ends 18 of each strip being supported on a part of the frame 1 and in addition a further semicylindrical strip 19 is provided riveted or otherwise attached to the cleaning chamber 1 so as to underlie the semi-circular strip 17 thus supporting such semi-circular strip. Intermediate semi-circular strips 1701 (Figure 2) are provided to strengthen the screen so made. The distance between the bars 16 may vary from say oneeighth of an inch in width to say half an inch in width. As stated above the bars 16 are on the periphery of a semi-circle and the bars are so disposed that in use the hammers or heaters 14 pass close to the bars but with approximately half an inch or so clearance therefrom.

The cleaning chamber 1 is extended above the rotary heating means by a distance equal to between one or two times the effective diameter of the beater to provide a receiving chamber 25 which is so shaped and constructed that clean wool is rotated therein on a draught of air created by rotation of the beater, dirty or partially cleaned wool sinking more rapidly and is subjected to a more sustained cleaning action. The cross-section of such a shape is shown in Figure 1 and the dimensions of the chamber for a rotary beater having a diameter of 24" are such that the receiving chamber is enarg'ed in cross-section towards its upper surface to a width of 1 /2 to 3 times the width of the rotary beater, for example a width of 59 along the line 27, this line 27 being 48" above the centre of the shaft 5. The top 28 of the receiving chamber is curved, domed and offset to one side as shown in Figure 1.

An opening 26 disposed a short distance above the top of the beater provides an inlet for the unclean wool and the side 29 of the receiving chamber is hinged at 30 and a catch 31 pivoted at 32 and counterbalanced at 33 is provided to hold the side 29 closed. Opening of the side 29 provides an outlet for the clean wool and the outlet for the waste is through the spaces between the bars 16.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows. The apparatus is set in motion, the rotary beater rotating, and because of centrifugal force the pivotal hammers 14 will move into their extended positions, the bases 25 of the hammers moving past the bars 16 of the screen with a clearance of about half an inch therefrom. The wool to be cleaned, consisting of a conglomerate of wool and waste, and particularly though not solely that conglomerate known as dagwool, is put in the apparatus through the inlet 21, and this wool is moved by the beater which rotates in the direction of the arrow B, Figure 1. Should any large lumps of waste move between a hammer 14 and the bar 16 which the hammer 14 is unable to break the hammer will move rearwardly because of the pivotal attachment thereof to the secondary shafts 9. This large lump will then probably remain on the bars for further treatment by the further hammers until the wool is freed therefrom and then flung upwardly by the beaters.

Because of the movement of the rotary beating means, the wool is moved over the bars and then flung upwardly into the receiving chamber. The movement of the beater also causes a stream of air to flow into the receiving chamber and on the wool being moved to a position within the receiving chamber above the rotary beater, the movement of air causes the wool to float upwardly borne by the movement of the air. The above shape of the receiving chamber is suchthat the clean wool is rotated in the chamber on the draught of air caused by movement of the beater as above described. The vair and wool leaving the beater tend to follow the direction of rotation of the beater although still moving away from the same, and the result of this is that the rotation of the wool in the chamber is in a reverse direction to the direction of rotation of the beater which is a result of the shape of the receiving chamber as is illustrated in Figure 1. If, however, the wool is still intermingled with waste then the wool and waste will tend to sink more rapidly towards the beater to be caught thereby and passed between the hammers and the bars for further treatment. The actual cleaning of the wool is effected by the beaters knocking the waste from the wool against the bars, the waste falling through the bars and it is to be understood that the cleaning chamber 1 stands on a framework or over a pit so that the waste falling through the bars may be collected from beneath the apparatus and taken away as desired.

From the above description it can be seen that a parcel of wool and waste is put into the machine and treatment is continued until it is thought that the wool is clean, whereupon the wool is removed.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for cleaning wool comprising a housing defining at the lower part thereof a cleaning chamber and at the upper part thereof a receiving chamber, a rotary beating means supported by the housing and rotatable within the cleaning chamber to cause a draught of air to flow within the cleaning chamber, coacting means in the cleaning chamber cooperating with the rotary beating means to clean the wool, an inlet in the housing for introducing uncleaned wool into the cleaning chamber, an outlet in the said housing for cleaned wool, a further outlet for the waste from the said cleaning chamber, the upper part of the housing defining the receiving chamber having a transverse dimension materially greater than the are of rotation of the rotary beating means and that part of the housing defining the cleaning chamber so that when the beating means rotates, the uncleaned wool will be carried over the co-acting means by the beating means to separate the waste from the wool with the wool thrown upwardly into the receiving chamber and rotated in the receiving chamber on the draught of air in a direction reverse to the direction of rotation of the said heating means thereby maintaining the cleaned wool floating and rotating in the receiving chamber for a longer period of time than dirty or partially cleaned wool, which sinks more rapidly and is thus subjected to a more sustained cleaning action.

2. An apparatus for cleaning wool as defined in claim 1 wherein the maximum transverse dimension of the upper part of the housing is one and a half to three times greater than the arc of rotation of the beating means.

3. An apparatus for cleaning wool as defined in claim 2 wherein the height of the upper part of the housing above the arc of rotation of the beating means is approximately twice the diameter of such are of rotation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 14,725 Kinsley Sept, 16, 1919 656,433 Vergruggen Aug. 21, 1900 989,545 Hampson Apr. 11, 1911 1,192,355 Streiff July 25, 1916 1,915,920 Campbell June 27, 1933 2,568,478 Angle Sept. 18, 1951 2,724,571 Friedman et a1 Nov. 22, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 13,801 Great Britain 1. of 1891- 

